


Bringing My Sinking Ship Back To The Shore

by LydiaArgent



Series: This, With You [1]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: F/F, Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 19:56:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2241504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LydiaArgent/pseuds/LydiaArgent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The view from behind 479er's left shoulder always makes Carolina breathe a little easier.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Not that she's going to mention this just now.</i>
</p><p><i>“Enemy ships have been eliminated, but missiles are still locked on.”</i><br/> <br/>Sometimes we need some help from old friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bringing My Sinking Ship Back To The Shore

**Author's Note:**

> Written and set just after s12 ep15, so spoilers through there.
> 
> Also posted to Tumblr for the RvB Ladies' Night.
> 
> Title from _Now_ by Paramore.

Whenever Carolina slides into the gunner's seat at the end of a mission, it feels like the chair replaces the angry tension in all of her muscles with a steady thrum of fresh adrenaline. Even after Agent Texas shows up, even after Project Freelancer is conspicuously ripping itself apart at the seams, the view from behind 479er's left shoulder makes Carolina breathe a little easier.

Not that she's going to mention this just now.

“Enemy ships have been eliminated, but missiles are still locked on.”

“Taking evasive maneuvers. Someone back there grab Wash a barf bag.” Carolina smirks when she can faintly hear her team's groans through the steel door. Then she's slammed sideways against her harness so hard she involuntarily lets out a grunt. She grabs the console in front of her to steady herself and checks the monitor. Then she swears.

“Still locked on and closing in.”

“Yes, thank you, I had noticed the fucking missiles,” 479er says calmly, but her hands are tight on the controls. She pauses and says “There a moon about a thousand klicks out.”

Carolina makes the leap right away. “You want a hand with that? Not that I don't trust you, but --”

“Your concern for my ego when we're about to get blown up is touching. Coming in hot in 30.”

Carolina gets on the ship's coms. “York, could you send Delta up here?”

Delta flashes into view above the main console. “How may I be of assistance?”

479er's gaze is fixed on the nav and acceleration read-outs while she talks. “We're gonna do a swing-by of CB/2559 3, and you're going to help me get as far in orbit as possible without things getting...”

“Crashy?” Carolina cuts in, and she can hear her own grin in her voice.

“Took the words right outta my mouth. You ready, little guy?”

“I've completed the required calculations. Approach trajectories have been relayed to the navigation system. Be ready to fire thrusters on my mark.”

“You pull this off, I owe you a drink.”

“Stop talking, I'm trying to not crash us into a moon. And you're gonna owe me so many drinks.”

Carolina grips her seat as the moon comes in fast. They swing into the moon's gravitational field and are whipped halfway around before being shot back the way they came. She watches the explosion of the missiles connecting with the moon's surface from the rear monitor and lets out a shaky laugh.

“So many drinks it is.”

They never get those drinks, because (as Epsilon's since made her admit) Carolina goes off the deep end trying to compete with Tex.

The last time she sees 479er, Carolina's jogging through the halls when the right-left count running through her mind is interrupted by a familiar voice. All she says is “Carolina,” with a nod in greeting. Unless they were paying extremely close attention, no one would have noticed the small scrap of paper she slipped Carolina as the passed. All it has written on it is a frequency, and what Carolina can only assume is a secure code phrase. She's not sure why, but she slides it safely into her armor.

***

That feels like a lifetime ago now, but Carolina still has that piece of paper. 

“Once we disable the signal jammer, we won't have much time before they find the breach and shut it down. We need to figure out what message we're going to send.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, we're calling Kimball and telling her that that motherfucker's playing her,” Tucker pretty much yells, but at Wash rather than Carolina.

“And she'll just believe you?” Carolina asks. 

“Of course she'll believe me, because if I'm talking to her, I'm obviously not fucking dead, so he lied!”

Carolina glances at Wash for backup, but he just manages to look evasive through his armor.

“Dude, come on, if Felix has had her fooled all this time, you really think he couldn't play that to his advantage somehow?” Epsilon jumps in.

“Well do you have a better idea, asshole?”

“...Good question.” Epsilon's hologram turns toward Carolina.

“I think I do.” She pulls out the piece of paper that she's thought of as a lifeline. She hands it to Wash, who spends a solid 10 seconds staring at it before he starts laughing.

“She gave this to you? When?”

“Right before everything, you know, went completely to shit.” They stare at each other, and just for a second Carolina can forget that her team fell to pieces, because part of it is whole and standing in front of her and laughing. 

“You think she'll come?”

Carolina grins. Every single time she threw herself off of a building is flashing through her mind. “Has she ever not?”

Wash laughs again. “Fuck, all right, I'm on board.”

“Can someone tell us what the fuck is going?!” Tucker looks like he's about to start stabbing someone. 

“We're calling in our ride.”

***

They manage to shut down the signal jammer. Carolina gets on the secure channel and reads out,

“ _479er is the greatest pilot in the galaxy_ ”

with a straight face, although it's a struggle because she can hear Wash snort behind her. She reads off a long set of coordinates and says “Extraction requested. Just like old times,” and shuts off the transmitter. 

“She'll meet us at the rendezvous in 17 hours. We just have to keep out heads down that long.”

“But how do you know she even got the message? What if she's halfway across the galaxy?”

Carolina levels a look at Simmons. “Don't ask stupid questions.”

***

They arrive in a deserted clearing Carolina had scoped out weeks before with two minutes to go until the scheduled rendezvous. One hundred and fifteen seconds later, they all look up at the distant sound of the whine of engines and the atmosphere being forcibly shoved aside. An unmarked Pelican drops sharply toward the field, and half of the Reds and Blues scream and dive for the trees. At the last possible second, the ship slows and touches down gently. The door slides open and a familiar set of silver and steel armor strides down the ramp and stands in front of Carolina.

“Long time no see, soldier.” 

Behind her helmet, Carolina beams at the familiar voice dripping sarcasm. “I can't believe you came.”

“So this is what I get for hauling ass halfway across the quadrant for a coded signal. I get insults. What are you all waiting for, a fucking invitation? Get in the goddamn ship!” 479er barks at the group of people hovering awkwardly several meters behind Carolina. They all jump and scramble through the doors, and the bickering about seats starts immediately. Wash brings up the rear and gives 479er a nod. 

“Thanks for the lift.” He jogs into the ship, and they can hear him start telling Simmons that this isn't a Warthog, and he can't ride gunner's seat. 

“I'll admit, I'm kinda terrified to ask how you ended up with someone else who's supposed to be dead and a pack of sim strays.” 

“It's a long story.” They head in to the ship, and walk up through to the main cabin.

“Well, how long a flight are we talking here?”

“Just out of scanner range. We've got a war to stop here, and we needed some serious time to re-group without people trying to kill us.”

479er sighs. “Of course you do. And I'll bet whatever you come up with is going to involve me risking my ass and my ship.”

“Wouldn't want to get your hopes up too much.”

479er barks out a laugh and seals the cabin doors before pushing Carolina up against them. 

“I need one fucking word with you before we go.” She takes off her helmet, letting her short dyed-blue hair fall around her chin. Out of etiquette, Carolina does the same. Carolina's never been this close to 479er out of armor, and inanely realizes that her eyes are bright gray. 

479er pushes Carolina back against the doors, wraps her arms around her waist, and leans up to kiss her full on the mouth. Carolina lets herself be held up, and feels like she could melt straight into the ship when 479er's tongue presses hard against her own. Carolina gets lost in the slide of her lips and the feel of her teeth, and has no idea how much time has gone by when 479er pulls back, breathing hard. She realizes simultaneously that she has her hands tangled in 479er's hair, and that the ship is still parked in hostile territory.

“Don't you ever,” 479er punctuates by shoving Carolina's hips, “ _ever_ , let me think you're dead again.” She pulls away and sits at the controls before Carolina has a chance to answer. But Carolina's heart is pounding in a way it hasn't in years, and she knows in the pit of her stomach that there's only one way she's ever leaving this pelican for good again.

She slides into the gunner's seat, and the ship takes off.


End file.
